07/20/15 Germany Against Breeding Animals for Fur, Sao Paolo Also Bans the Sale of Fur

- Although Brazil is one of the largest producers of chinchilla fur, its biggest city now bans fur farming as well as the sale of fur.

Breeding and killing animals for their fur have in the 21st century been globally recognised as cruel and completely unnecessary practices. As a result more and more countries have begun to ban this primitive tradition. In 2006, when Croatia banned fur farming, the same ban existed only in Great Britain and Australia. Since then, Slovenia, the FYR of Macedonia, the Republic of Northern Ireland, Switzerland, the Belgian Walloon region, Brazilian state of São Paulo, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have completely banned fur farming, while in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and New Zealand it is partly banned. Germany and São Paulo have recently gone one step further.

The German Bundesrat adopted the bill to ban fur farming in Germany. Robert Habeck, the Minister of the Environment of the German state Schleswig-Holstein, initiated the application for the ban. He called for an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act. He stated that killing and breeding of foxes, minks, and chinchillas for their fur are not necessary for providing basic human needs and are therefore incompatible with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. The possible ban of fur farms is based on a fact that killing animals for their fur is not justifiable unless there is a very good reason, in accordance with Article 1 of the Animal Welfare Act. Remaining fur farms in Germany will be granted a transitional period of ten years. The Humane Society organization called on the German Bundestag to adopt the bill as quickly as possible.

After previously banning fur farming, São Paulo can be proud of a new, even more advanced decision. It's mayor, Fernando Haddad, signed a historic law that bans import and sales of fur products in his city. The ban was proposed by Laercio Benko, the City Council member, and unanimously adopted by the City Council. This ban put an end to the cruel tradition of selling animal products for fashion purposes. The law that bans fur farming in São Paulo has been in effect since last November. Fur farming is extremely cruel, animals are under constant stress, they are held in small cages with no room for moving, and in the end subjected to a cruel killing. The law deems such farming immoral; its objective is to protect animals whose fur is used for making of coats and accessories. Such animals are rabbits, foxes, minks, badgers, seals, coyotes, squirrels, and chinchillas. Brazil was one of the world's largest chinchilla fur clothes manufacturers, and this ban is an important step forward in reducing animal suffering.

We invite the Ministry of Agriculture to learn from these two progressive world legislatures and to not allow fur farming of chinchillas as well as keep the current ban on fur farming. All these requests are supported by over 70 per cent of Croatian citizens.

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Animal Friends is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 2001 with the aim to promote animal protection and animal rights as well as veganism, as ethical, ecological and healthy lifestyle.
Animal Friends Croatia is a member organization of EVU,
Eurogroup for Animals, ECEAE, FFA, IAFC and OIPA.